


Fallen Prince

by kitkatzrgr8



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: ...A Lot Of A Jerk Actually, ...Kinda, 1920's slang, Animation, Because why the hell not?, Bendy and the Ink Machine Sanders Sides AU, But So Do Nightmares, Inconsistent Time Skips, It's Implied He Does Shitty Things Offscreen for the Good of the Company, Janus as Joey Drew, Janus is Either in a Cult or Started a Cult and I Don't Think Even He Knows Which at This Point, Logan as Sammy Lawrence, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Patton as Allison Pendle, Remus as Thomas Connor, Roman as Susie Campbell, Set in the 1920's-1930's, Thomas as Henry Stein, Unsympathetic Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Unsympathetic Deceit | Janus Sanders, Virgil as Wally Franks, Voice Acting, and he becomes a bit of a jerk, bendy and the ink machine au, dreams come true, i tried so hard with the slang in certain places until i forgot about it entirely please validate me, logan and janus both have suspenders and bow ties and i love it an ungodly amount, logan probably likes patton but patton and remus are too busy being gay to really notice, one-sided prinxiety, probably, sanders sides au, the fame really goes to his head
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:20:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25893538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitkatzrgr8/pseuds/kitkatzrgr8
Summary: Janus smirked, leaning in a little as his voice dropped to nearly a whisper. “I too really believe my characters are more than just drawings. They’re alive, right,  Roman? You feel that, don’t you? They’re a part of us. And I want people to know them as well as I… as well aswedo.”A look into the downfall of Roman Campbell and the rise of 'Janus Drew Studio's' Fallen Prince.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders (one-sided), Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders
Comments: 3
Kudos: 14





	1. Once There Was a Prince

**Author's Note:**

> This is heavily based on the events in the game 'Bendy and the Ink Machine,' though it's self-contained enough that you do not need any prior knowledge of the game to read!

All his life, Roman had known he was destined for something great. 

Of course, as he had grown up, his definition of what that ‘great’ thing he was destined for had changed quite a bit. When he was 5, his dream was to become a prince. And, a few days later when his father had told him that they didn’t have ‘princes’ in the US, his dream had turned into what was in his mind the next best thing: the president. But by age 6, he had been bored with the idea of presidency and had moved onto being a world-famous painter. And so it continued, him announcing to his mother every morning during breakfast what his new destiny was. A songwriter, a dancer, a politician, an astronaut, something new seemingly every other day. His mother had always found his antics adorable, kissing his forehead and telling him he could do whatever he set his mind to while his father huffed in the background and turned the page in his newspaper.

But that was years ago, when Roman had been only a child. Now, he was an adult. Still destined for greatness, but now with, at the very least, a firm decision in his head of what he wanted to be. 

Roman wanted to be an actor. 

After all, an actor was the best of all of his childish dreams combined! As one, he’d be able to play all the roles he had always wanted to.  He’d work his way up to stardom, or so he promised himself as he took the first job he saw offered in the papers, desperate to pay his first month’s rent on the new apartment he had just moved into. After all, every star seemed to start from ‘humble beginnings’ and if that was what it took, Roman was more than up to the challenge. 

...But now, just finishing up his first day of work, that challenge seemed more than what Roman had anticipated. Back against the grainy wooden wall behind him, Roman slowly slid down until he was sitting against it. He reached into his bag, pulling out his beat-up tape recorder, and sighed. 

It wasn’t like he could just write down his feelings. He had kept a journal for most of his life, of course, and had countless dog-eared diaries tucked away somewhere in his apartment, each page crammed with tiny cursive back and front. But now… well, he was on his path to stardom! Acting in a different way than he had expected, but sure to be a well known actor nonetheless! And with all of his acting now riding on his voice, it only seemed fair to use that when going forward. Writing couldn’t capture his inflections, after all. His smooth words, his almost lyrical way of speaking, the way he paused at just the right moments. Even if this day wasn’t exactly... well, what he had been expecting, it was still the start of his journey, and it deserved to be captured.

The handheld recording system was a little busted, as well as decently dented, but it had been gotten for a good price in a spontaneous purchase from a secondhand shop, and it worked perfectly fine. Clearing his throat, Roman forced a smile even though nobody was watching, and pressed down on the chipped ‘record’ button. “Greetings, to whoever may be listening! This is the first entry in the records of my - Roman Campbell's - journey to stardom! Today is...” Pausing, Roman’s head fell back to thud lightly against the wall at his back. “...July 16th, I believe. 1932. My first day at Janus Drew Animation Studios as a multipurpose background voice actor! It went… well, I suppose.”

‘Well’ was more than an exaggeration. The entire day had been a loud and confusing journey without him knowing at any point what his final destination was supposed to be. 

“Everyone seemed friendly enough!”

...Even if nobody had spoken to him other than to tell him to start and stop speaking…

“And it really is quite amazing to see the inner workings of how a cartoon is made!”

...Even if he had been too busy being shuffled from one place to another to really get a good look at anything…    
  
“And… and, I did get my voice into a cartoon.”   
  
… Even if it had been a variety of wacky, high pitched voices that not even his own mother would be able to place as his own; voices he had absolutely hated trying to replicate for the few lines he was meant to record…

“All in all, it was a… a s-successful day.” Roman could hear the tremor in his voice at that, and he quickly cleared his throat to dispel it. “Anyways, this is Roman Campell, signing off. Bye.” 

No sooner had he clicked off the recording than a sob broke free from his throat, echoing around the empty room and almost seeming to mock him. Roman quickly set down the recorder, instead placing a fisted hand to his mouth to try and muffle his crying. 

It was stupid. This day was stupid, the director that had shoved him around was stupid, the voices he did was stupid… Roman was stupid. Childish, idealistic… he was just so  _ stupid  _ for thinking that everything would magically come together for him. He knew that, so why was he so hurt when it actually happened? 

And then, just because another stupidly unlucky thing had to happen, the door opened. 

Roman had chosen this room specifically because he had thought he wouldn’t be found. But then again, he hadn’t exactly gotten a tour of the place before starting, nor did he have a time to get used to the building itself, so he had only guessed it was unused due to the lack of items scattered around the room. Every other place in this wing of the studio seemed to be cluttered with papers and ink and assorted memorabilia, but this room had been filled with nothing but an disorganized filing system behind the desk and a scattering of dirty coffee mugs set in various places of the room. 

The man that had opened the door was lowly humming something that sounded like what the music department had been practicing that day— the one thing aside from his own lines that Roman had actually gotten to hear as the break room was right next to the orchestra pit— beginning to pick up the scattered mugs with a practiced fatigue and placing them on the cart behind him. At turning around and seeing Roman, though, he froze. “What’re you doing here?” The voice was lower than Roman’s own, and a little raspier, and Roman took solace in the fact that he sounded more surprised than mad.

“...I thought this room was unused,” he offered sheepishly, trying to give the other a convincing smile. 

The man snorted at that, shoving his hands deep into his overall pockets. The overalls themselves were incredibly worn and stained, but obviously well-maintained and patched with care. In all honesty, the purple patches made the outfit all the more interesting, and Roman would’ve found them stylish in any other sort of situation. “Yeah, good try, pal. One room over,” the man jerked his head to the left side of the room, “and ya would’ve made it. But... honestly, the asshole who’s  _ supposed  _ to use this room hangs over in the infirmary with Picani most’a the time,” the man then jerked his head to the other side of the room to indicate where that room was, “so I guess this room is _technically_ unused? All in all, it’s not really… hey, are you okay?” 

“I’m fine.” And he would’ve sounded half-convincing, too, if it weren’t for the meddling voice crack his words decided to take a detour through. 

“Yeah, sure,” the janitor said sarcastically, obviously not even a little convinced. “But, say you  _ weren’t  _ fine. Humor me; what do you think’d cause the ‘un-fine’ness?” 

“...You’ll think I’m stupid,” Roman finally said, voice sounding small and strained in way that he hated even more than the ridiculous voices he had read lines in today.    
  
The other man shrugged, taking a seat on the floor beside him. “I mean, I  _ do  _ think a lot of things are stupid.... but emotions are different. Nobody breaks down crying in a back room for no reason, y’know? How you’re reacting for whatever reason is completely normal; not bad, not strange, and certainly not stupid.” The man paused, tugging at his overall straps almost absentmindedly as he thought. “...You don’t have to tell me, but if you want a listening ear…” 

“I just thought this would be better!” Roman burst out. And, when the other man didn’t move to stop him, he continued. “Obviously, I’d be absolutely daft to think that working towards my dreams would be easy, but… but today was just… I don’t know, I thought I’d at least be  _ seen _ , even just by fellow employees! But I was just… kind of shuffled around. Told what to do and when, and then ignored. I felt more like a toy being made to work when needed and then abandoned when convenient than…” Roman sighed, his hands dropping back down from where they had been gesturing in the air. “I just thought it’d be better,” he finally repeated. “That  _ I’d  _ be better.”

There was a moment of silence after that, and then the man whistled lowly. “Damn. And I thought I had a rough first day when I started.” 

Roman had to chuckle at that. “Sounds like you have stories to tell.”

“Eh, I guess you could say that.” They fell into an awkward silence, before the man rushed to break it. “I’m still sorry to hear that your first say was such a piece of work, Roman. You’ve got every reason to cry over it; healthy release of emotion and all, y’know?” 

Roman sniffed at that, wiping at his eyes. “Well, yes, but... wait, how do you know my name?”

The other shrugged, returning to picking at his overall straps. “Eh, I pick up on things…. And I saw you running lines while I was cleaning and caught your name then. Gotta say, I was impressed. You may be an idiot, but you did surprisingly well with the shitty parts. Most people can’t handle the variety, but you took everything they threw at you with grace ‘nd shit. Haven’t seen anybody that good in a while. Don’t think the music director had, either; haven’t seen Lawrence pay attention to any of the ‘smaller’ voices before, but he was all over your performance.”   
  
Roman opened his mouth to comment on the ‘idiot’ insult, but he was quickly thrown off by the compliment near the end of the other’s little speech. “...Really?” he said, voice back to that quiet and vulnerable place that he usually hated. Yet, for as blunt and not-to-be-outspoken the other seemed to be, Roman felt that his insecurities would be safe with the other.

The other only slouched in more on themself at that. And, below a mop of dark, curly hair, Roman thought he’d even spotted a blush. “Yeah, yeah, wh’tever, don’t make me repeat m’self,” he mumbled under his breath, the slightest hint of an accent peeking through his words. “Just.. you’re good, ‘kay? The first day’s always rough, but I promise it gets better. Today was just busy is all. I… I know a bit about not being seen, but I promise there’s some friends to be had here if you stick with it.”

And surprisingly enough, that made Roman feel a good bit better. Not completely, of course, but… As the man moved to stand back up, mumbling under his breath about his cleaning schedule, Roman shot him a smile. A real one this time and, when the other looked back at him to see it, he spotted another flash of a red before the janitor ducked down and his bangs covered it. “Thank you,” he said sincerely. “I… you didn’t have to say any of that, but thank you. I think I feel a bit better, now.” 

“I’m glad,” the other said, seeming to sound just as sincere. “And… tell you what.” As he spoke he held a hand out for Roman to take. And once Roman accepted, he was shocked by how cold the other was but even more shocked by the strength the other pulled him to his feet with. “I actually happen to be friends with the music director, Logan Lawrence. I… I think so, anyways? Ended up in an argument with him over a personal problem our head animator had, and now he invites me to lunch every Tuesday and Thursday to debate over various topics? I think it’s how he shows his love. Anyways, I might be able to bring you up and maybe introduce you to him? It never hurts to have friends in high places, and he definitely seemed interested in your performance earlier-” He was cut off with a sharp exhale of breath, as Roman had basically thrown himself at the other to wrap him up in a hug. 

  
“Thank you thank you thank you!” Roman practically sang, lifting the other off the ground just high enough to spin around in excitement. Finally setting the other man down, whose face was now bright red and hair in complete disarray, Roman placed his hands on the other’s shoulders and beamed. “First you allow me to speak my problems, and now provide a potential solution? You are far too kind…” Roman trailed off with a frown. “My knight in patchwork armor, and I don’t even know your name! I’m so sorry, I must’ve-”

The other man cut him off, still looking a little red, and Roman would probably be concerned for his health if he wasn’t so preoccupied with his embarrassing mistake. “It’s fine, Ro. You weren’t really in the best mindset for introductions. It’s… uh, it’s Virgil Franks.” Frowning at Roman’s barely muffled snort, Virgil shrugged the other’s hands off his shoulders. “Oh whatever, at least it’s not a stupidly egotistical name like ‘Roman.’ What, was no other empire good enough for you?” 

“You say that like you think I chose it myself!”   


“Oh what, like _I_ chose _my_ name? Seriously…” 

Roman ended up being wrangled into keeping Virgil company for the rest of the other’s shift, despite the fact that he really should’ve left hours beforehand. But as he found himself smiling more than he had in awhile, trading quips and funny stories about others working in the animation studio, he didn’t think he’d rather be anyone else. Right now, he had a friend. He felt heard and, more importantly,  _ seen  _ by someone he was beginning to care for. 

And what could one dream for more than that? 


	2. Thinking of You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"In a moment of pure objectiveness, I may have suggested a particular pretentious prick to Mister Janus as the voice for our newest character and gotten his approval to run some lines via song. Purely as a benefit to me, you must understand.”_
> 
> aka, we're introduced to Mr. Logan Lawrence, and the rise of Roman Campbell begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a time skip, because _cohesive timeline who?_ but I hope you enjoy a look into Roman and Logan's blooming and Totally Professional Business Relationship as much as they do! Sue me, I'm a slut for logince.

_ “Roman Campbell signing in once again! Took me a hot second to figure out how to continue off of my last entry and not just tape over it, but this tape recorder’s conundrums are no match for the mind of one such as I! Or rather… for the mind of one such as Virgil. But I provided moral support as he solved my problem! Anyway, today, August 2nd, 1932. A few weeks have passed since I’ve started working here and it…. It’s going fine. The work of a voice actor can be a tough one, because you never know what you’re going to be voicing next! When you act in a proper theater, you get to play romantic leads, maybe a knight, or some kind of villain… But, when you work for Janus Drew, you never know! I think that’s why I love it so much. Every day is a surprise! Though… I do feel like I’ve been stuck with some low parts lately. Nothing really I can write home about. Logan , my… our music director… was also telling me they’re working on a new character upstairs. Might require a dramatic touch. Virge says my overdramatic ass will be perfect for the part and, for once, I think he was even being serious.” _

_ “...I’ve got a good feeling something great is going to happen. Until next time!” _

* * *

“You really do have a lovely voice.”

Roman was startled from his absentminded singing by a sudden voice, nearly dropping the script he had been holding in his haste to turn towards whoever had been speaking.

Logan’s tall form stood in front of him, hair brushed back neatly as always, wearing his customary black slacks and suspenders. At Roman’s gaze, he moved from fidgeting with his glasses to tugging at his blue bow tie, clutching a sheaf of papers to his chest with his other hand. He was glancing at him with a tone that may look somewhat stern to others, but Roman knew was adoration. And, before Roman could speak to dramatically agree with the other as he typically did, Logan continued. 

“Objectively, of course.” The phrase was added on with a slight smile, and Roman leaned a little closer with a smile of his own. “Particularly fitting for someone so aggravatingly dramatic as yourself.” 

“Some might say dramatic, others may say alluring,” Roman teased, relishing in the light red that played across the other’s face. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were one to find me alluring nonetheless.”

“Of course not,” Logan said almost defensively, but Roman could feel the weight of the other’s free hand finding its place on his hip. “I merely wish to state the truth concerning an employee I work with. And though you may be too idealistic to realize it, sometimes the truth is cold and cruel. Ergo, un-allured I remain.”

Roman’s arms found their way around Logan’s neck. “Is that so?” he shot back, leaning in a little bit closer. His heart jumped in his chest as Logan leaned in closer as well, until they were nearly nose to nose. 

“Of course,” Logan shot back, tone surprisingly teasing, and he nodded towards the papers in his hand without breaking his rather close eye contact with Roman. “However, in a moment of pure objectiveness, I may have suggested a particular pretentious prick to Mister Janus as the voice for our newest character and gotten his approval to run some lines via song. Purely as a benefit to me, you must understand.” 

Roman couldn’t stop the gasp of excitement that left his mouth as he pulled away, unable to wait as he gestured for Logan to hand him the papers. “Wait, Logan did you truly?” And with the papers in hand, Roman saw what was written on them. A professional-looking packet of sheet music with Janus’s all-too-familiar handwriting at the top: ‘ _ Copy 1: to be distributed to Wroammin Campbell.’  _ At Roman’s questioning look at the name, Logan gave him a tired ‘I don’t even know’ look. 

“Regardless of… how it was phrased, it is indeed intended for you, Roman. I expect to see you in my office tomorrow, 10 o’clock sharp, for a private audition with myself and Janus.” Logan adjusted his glasses with a smooth movement, shooting the other a small smile. 

Roman was just about to combust from excitement, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet as if he was unable to contain all of his emotions. “Of course, Logan!” he practically sang. “However… I may need some help beforehand to ensure I present the voice Janus is looking for. A skilled musician, perhaps, and maybe over dinner tonight? Now, where could I find such a skilled musician with knowledge of Janus’s specific tastes on such short notice?”

“...Roman, I believe I fit the exact criteria you are looking for,” Logan said in confusion. “There’s no need for you to find someone else… unless you’d desire to obtain this help throughout outside means, of which I am at your disposal to help. There are a few members of the orchestra that would-” Logan trailed off as Roman gave him an amused look, before his eyes lit up. “Oh. You were referring to me. Yes, I am available for dinner tonight.”

“Fantastic,” Roman replied happily, leaning back in towards the other. “Now, I believe we were just getting to the good part of our debate, were we not?”

Logan smiled, leaning in as well. “I suppose we were, halfwit.”

“Prep.” 

“Pretentious prick.”

As Logan had opened his mouth to respond, their faces now even closer than they had been before, a clash of woodwind noises sounding from the room over cut him off. Sighing, he was the one to pull away this time. “My apologies, it appears the orchestra is ready for their rehearsal on time today. Either that, or a certain someone has distracted me enough that I find myself late.” And, before Roman could reply, whether to wish Logan the best of luck or to agree that he was rather distracting, the taller man was already halfway to the door. “I shall see you later, Roman. Please do practice the song beforehand, just in case our dinner deviates from that topic entirely… it would’ve been foolish of me to write it for you specifically, but I do think your voice will be rather fitting for it.” And with that last statement, paired with a small smile, the door had shut behind Logan, leaving Roman entirely alone.

Well… almost alone. 

“You two are, uh… getting pretty close, aren’t you?” Roman jumped at the sudden voice, spinning around and dropping the music sheets in his fright. Virgil, who had previously been sweeping in the shadows of the darkened music room, dropped the broom he had been holding with a clatter. He quickly sprung forward to collect the fallen sheets, making sure they’re in order before shoving them back at Roman’s stunned form. “Sorry, I uh, didn’t mean to startle you.” 

Roman quickly shook himself out of his stunned stupor and shot a small smile at the other, gladly taking the pages. There was a moment where they just stared at each other, before Virgil pulled back suddenly with his cheeks dusted a light pink. Shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his patchwork overalls he looks down at the ground, messy hair falling into his eyes. “Thank you,” Roman said simply, and Virgil just shrugged in response. “And I suppose you could say that Mr. Logan and I are… getting rather close.” He didn’t say much more than that, unsure of how Virgil might react to the entirety of what he felt for the other, but he couldn’t stop the almost dreamy sigh leaving his lips as he stared back at the door the other had left through only moments before. “He said I have a nice voice. Objectively.” 

There’s a tiny, minute change in Virgil’s half-hidden expression at those words, but it falls back into his usual, closed off expression before Roman can pinpoint what exactly it means. “...Well, you  _ do  _ have a nice voice. A really, really nice voice,” he finally muttered. 

Roman just laughed. “Well, that’s certainly kind of you to say, you absolute charmer!” he said in a tone that clearly meant he was teasing. 

Another change in Virgil’s expression, this one just a little more obvious, and he finally looks back up to the other. “I’m not just saying that.”

“Oh.” Another pause, this one a little bit longer, and a tad more awkward. “Thank you. I don’t think Logan was just saying that, either.” 

“Of course not.”

There were far too many abnormal pauses in this conversation in Roman’s opinion and, as the other didn’t seem to be changing the subject anytime soon, he held up his new sheet music. “Well… I’d better get to practicing if I want to be ready for the rehearsal tomorrow.”

Jerking upwards slightly, as if out of a deep train of thought, Virgil shook himself back into the present. “Yeah, rehearse… uh, that’s important! Yeah, you… I gotta keep cleaning, anyways. See ya later?” 

“See you later,” Roman promised, already turning to head towards the music room’s door. 

“And… Roman?”

Turning back around, Roman shot the other a curious glance, but said nothing. Virgil seemed to pause for a moment, hand not currently holding the broom fiddling with his unbuttoned shirt sleeves nervously. “...I hope you’re happy with him,” he finally said. “Don’t take any wooden nickels, alright, Ro? He better treat you right. And, uh… if he doesn’t, I’ll fight‘m.”

There was one final pause between them before an absolutely blinding smile overtook Roman’s face. “I am happy with him,” he said in an almost awestruck tone and, though he was confused at the bittersweet emotion clear in Virgil’s eyes, he didn’t mention it. It wasn’t like spending time with Logan meant he’d spend any less time with Virgil, after all. “And.. thank you, Virgil. Thank you for… You’re…. You’re a wonderful friend.”

Roman didn’t understand the way he saw Virgil absolutely shatter at those words, either. 

“Thanks,” was Virgil’s breathless, broken reply. His fingers twisted more frantically at his sleeves, but he offered Roman a small smile.  Roman smiled back, then turned to leave, humming happily along to the notes he clutches to his chest. Notes that  _ Logan  _ had written. Notes that  _ Logan  _ said would sound perfect when sung by Roman’s voice. Closing the door to the music room behind him, Roman laughed. 

It wasn’t the picture-perfect relationship he had always dreamed of. It wasn’t the audience-adoring role and the millions of adoring fans he had imagined. But what he had was good and, in all honesty, he didn’t think he’d trade it for the world. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...if only it would last.

**Author's Note:**

> I have no excuse for this; I just was thinking of Susie's character and suddenly connected it with Roman in a human AU. Don't worry, it gets worse! After all, this isn't completely disregarding Roman and Virgil's initial relationship in the canon series, it's just.... putting that distaste off for a moment :)
> 
> And yes, I know Susie and Wally were never a thing, but _my smol shipper heart is a slut for Prinxiety stfu_.


End file.
